Our Apprentices Graduate – Congratulations!

Kay-C Hewitt completed Early Years Educator Level 3 at Walcot Nursery, Childcare

“Although I did not expect to be completing my apprenticeship during a lockdown, it motivated me more than ever to use the time to my advantage and work as hard as I could! I had lots of support from my tutor as well as my workplace tracking how I was doing! I am now just waiting for my certificate to come through and can’t wait to be officially qualified and use my new knowledge and role at my workplace from going from an apprentice to level three!” 

Amber Hawker completed Early Years Educator Level 3 at Leamington Grove Nursery, Childcare

"Childcare was a career that I began as a part-time job for the summer as an agency worker. I enjoyed working with the children and the other practitioners at Leamington Nursery and decided it was a role that I wanted to pursue. 6 months later I started at Little Pioneers as an Early Years Apprentice, working towards my Level 3 Qualification.

I worked closely with a Tutor from Hawk Training, who was there for advice and guidance, to complete my assignments to the best of my ability. Although the Coronavirus was a disruptive time for many, I used the extra time I had to continue working on my assignments and towards the completion of my Level 3 certificate. It was interesting to learn the different aspects of childcare in detail and I feel as though I have been able to put what I have learned into practice in my work."

Latifah Ali Completed Early Years Educator Level 3 at John Radcliffe Nursery, Childcare

“This course has really helped me with where I am today. I want to thank my tutor for all the support she has given me. I have learned a lot from this course and it will definitely help me as a practitioner.”

Sarah Townsend completed Team Leader Level 3 at Swindon (Cricklade Road) Funeralcare

"I joined Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-operative Society in 1999 as a driver/bearer and have worked in many roles as Funeral Assistant, Co-ordinator, Funeral Director and in 2018 became an Area Manager.

I choose to complete the Level 3 Team Leader Apprenticeship as a way of building upon my existing knowledge and developing some of the skills required for my role. I really enjoyed learning about project management, operational performance and finance management. During the course, we studied the cultural and ethical values of organisations and discussed conscious and unconscious bias which is something we should all be aware of, especially in roles where we manage people and can impact personal and team objectives.

Trying to complete the course with Coronavirus has had an impact with no face to face tutor meetings or study groups to prepare for the final exams but like everyone, I adapted."

Stacey Dingley completed Retail manager Level 4 at Park Hall Food store.

"The apprenticeship has been a good opportunity for me to build confidence and learn new skills. In the beginning, it was lovely to network with other managers, as well as speaking to colleagues in head office who I had never met in person before. Coronavirus delayed the completion a little and made the last part a little more challenging, but with the help of the training provider, we finished our work last month and had our results shortly after. We spent more time on video calls and learning in a small group which was beneficial for us all.

The course has made me more confident in my abilities as a manager and I hope to continue my learning further."

Helen Taylor completed Retail Manager Level 4 – Walsall Town Centre store, Food

"I found studying for the apprenticeship during the pandemic challenging, but rewarding. Working during the pandemic itself was hard, due to having to adapt to different ways of training. For example, training sessions were done on Microsoft Teams rather than face to face with tutors. Due to the stress of the pandemic my District Manager, Dave Richards supported me by ensuring I had time and space to complete my course. The course has helped build my confidence, independence and has allowed me to explore different aspects of my role in more depth."